Sliding door fastener

ABSTRACT

A LOCKING DEVICE IS DISCLOSED FOR A SLIDING DOOR STRUCTURE OR DOOR WALL WHICH COMPRISES A PAIR OF ELONGATED BARS, ONE BAR IS HINGED TO THE END OF THE OTHER AND BOTH ARE ENGAGABLE WITH THE LOWER RAIL OF A DOOR WALL IN THE PATH OF MOTION OF A SLIDABLE GLASS PANEL. THE TWO BARS HAVE AN OVERALL, UNFOLDED LENGTH WHICH CORRESPONDS TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PANEL AND ONE OF THE FRAME STILES WHEN THE PANEL IS ADJACENT THE OTHER STILE IN ITS CLOSED POSITION, SO THAT WHEN ENGAGED WITH THE RAIL BEHIND THE PANEL THEY FORM AN OBSTRUCTION WHICH PREVENTS THE PANEL FROM BEING OPENED. WHEN THE SHORTER OF THE TWO BARS IS PIVOTED WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER BAR, THE PANEL CAN BE PARTIALLY OPENED TO PROVIDE A LIMITED ACCESS OPENING.

Jm.12,'f 1971; WW2 3,554,592

SLIDING DOOR FASTENER Filed July so, 1968 INVENTOR MARVIN KATZ z w g4. /M

United States Patent 3,554,592 SLIDING DOOR FASTENER Marvin Katz, 27156 Sutherland, Southfield, Mich. 48075 v Filed July 30, 1968, Ser. No. 748,830

Int. Cl. Ec 17/32; E05d 13/04 US. Cl. 292-263 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A locking device is disclosed for a sliding door structure or door wall which comprises a pair of elongated bars; one bar is hinged to the end of the other and both are engagable with the lower rail of a door wall in the path of motion of a slidable glass panel. The two bars have an overall, unfolded length which corresponds to the distance between the panel and one of the frame stiles when the panel is adjacent the other sti-le in its closed position, so that when engaged with the rail behind the panel they form an obstruction which prevents the panel from being opened. When the shorter of the two bars is pivoted with respect to the other bar, the panel can be partially opened toprovide a limited access opening.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION I The invention relates to lockin devices for sliding doors and the like, and more particularly to a portable device which mounts on the door frame either to prevent the door from being moved from a fully closed position or to allow it to be partially opened.

Portable door locks for sliding panels of door walls are usually formed so that when mounted on the frame in which the panel slides, they prevent the panel from being opened from a fully closed position. In order to move the panel, the lock must be removed from the door frame in which case the panel can be fully opened. One example of this type of locking device is shown in Pat. No. 3,282,618.

The problem with conventional, portable locking bars for slidingdoors is that when mounted in place they do not allow the door or panel to be moved to a position which forms a limited access opening. For example, in a residence it may be desirable to lock the door in such a manner that it opens a distance which is limited to prevent an unauthorized party from gaining entrance into the residence but which is suflicient topermit a domestic animal such as a cat to pass through or to provide ventilation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a portable closure device that mounts on the lower rail of the frame of a door wall to form an obstruction that either prevents the door from being opened from a fully closed position or allows .the door to be partially opened. The preferred embodiment, which will be subsequently described in greater detail, comprises a pair of elongated bars, preferably formed of plastic, that are hinged end-to-end and have an overall length such that when mounted on the lower rail of the door frame, the end of one of the bars abuts the stile toward which the door moves when it is opened and the other bar is engagable with the sliding door in its fully closed position. Both of the bars have a longitudinal slot that allows them to be mounted in the channel of the lower rail in which the door slides so that when the shorter of the two bars is swung to a position in which it forms a longitudinal extension of the longer bar they cooperate to block the door from being opened. The shorter bar can be pivoted to a position in which it is parallel to the longer bar to allow the door to be partially opened to a position in which the longer bar blocks further motion.

The preferred closure device is formed of a few inexpensive elements, is lightweight and can be easily manufactured to a variety of overall lengths to accommodate door walls of different widths. Other advantages of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains upon reference to the following detailed description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The description refers to the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a door wall having a sliding glass panel and a portable closure device which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the closure device of FIG. 1 showing a portion of the lower rail of the door wall; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the closure device of FIG. 1, with the shorter of the two bars forming a longitudinal extension of the longer bar to block motion of the sliding panel from its fully closed position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT :Referring to the drawing, FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional door wall construction, generally indicated at 10, having a frame formed of an upper rail 12, and a lower rail 14, connected at their ends by a vertical stile 16 and a vertical stile 18 to form a four-sided opening. A door or a glass panel 20 having a width less than the distance between the stiles 16 and 18 and its upper and lower edges slidably engaged with the upper and lower rails 12 and 14, respectively, is slidably disposed in the opening defined by the frame for motion between a closed position in which it is adjacent the stile 16 and an open position in which it is spaced from the stile 16.

A second glass door or panel 22 is fixedly mounted in the frame adjacent the stile 18 so that the two panels 20 and 22 completely block the opening in the frame when the movable panel 20 is in its closed position.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the lower rail 14 is formed of a conventionally formed extruded element having a channel 24, including a flange 26, which extends between the two stiles 16 and 18. The panel 20 is slidably mounted in the channel 24 between the two stiles.

A closure device, generally indicated at 28, illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention and comprises a pair of bars 30 and 32, each of which has a generally square cross section and is formed of a suitable plastic material. The bar 32 is shorter in length than the bar 30. A hinge element 34 pivotally connects one end of the bar 32 to the end of the bar 30 so that the shorter bar 32 is movable with respect to the longer bar 30 between a first position, shown in FIG. 2, in which it forms a longitudinal extension of the bar 30, and a second position, shown in FIG. 1, in which it is laterally disposed in a back-to-back position with bar 30.

The bar 30 is formed with a slot 36 that extends between its opposite longitudinal ends and is receivable with the flange 26 of the rail 14. Similarly the bar 32 is formed with a longitudinal slot 38 that is also engagable with the flange 26. The slots 36 and 38 allow the two bars to be engaged with the rail in a position in which portions of each of the two bars are disposed in the channel 24 and the path of motion of the panel 20.

As best shown in FIG. 3, when the closure device 28 is mounted on the rail 14 between the panel 20 and the stile 18 with the slots 36 and 38 of the two bars engaged with the fiange 16, the overall length of the two bars is such that they form an obstruction in the path of motion of the panel 20 that extends between the stile 18 and the panel. The free end of the bar 30 is in abutment with the stile 18 and the free end of the bar 32 is in abutment with the side edge of the panel 20 thereby preventing the panel 20 from being moved from its fully closed position.

It is to be understood, of course, that the preferred closure device can be formed in different lengths so that the two bars unfold to accommodate a door wall of a different width. By raising the bar 32 and pivoting it to its back-to-back position with the bar 30 as shown in FIG. 1, the panel 20 can be partially opened a distance corresponding to the length of the bar 32 to a position illustrated in phantom at A in which an access opening of a limited size is formed between the panel and the stile 16. The relative sizes of the two bars is such that the access opening is insufficient to allow an unauthorized party to pass through the door wall but sufficient to allow the entrance of a small domestic animal or to provide limited ventilation. For purposes of illustration, in a 6 ft. door wall, the combined length of the two bars is 33 /4" with the shorter bar 32 having a length of 3 /2.

A ring 40, connected by fastening means 42 to the upper side of the bar 30, provides means for removing the closure device from the lower rail.

Although I have described but one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes and revisions can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A locking device for sliding doors of the type including a first panel displaceable between horizontally spaced jambs and a second panel fixed adjacent one of the jambs in overlapping adjacent relation to the first panel including: first and second uniform and elongated bars of substantially incompressible material, hinge means pivotally joining the bars to form a continuous uniform member having end surfaces and adapted to be disposed substantially fully between an edge of the first panel and the opposite facing jamb to prevent movement of the first panel towards same jamb, the hinge means permitting folding of the first bar relative to the second bar to reduce the length of the member thereby to permit the first panel to be displaced partially toward said jamb, each of the bars being provided with a slot extending longitudinally therealong such that the slots are continuously aligned when the bars are in the unfolded condition, the slots being adapted to cooperatively receive a vertical channel flange guidingly containing the first panel.

2. A locking device as defined in claim 1 wherein the hinge means permits substantially full folding of the second bar over the first bar, the end surfaces of the bars both adjacent the hinge means and displaced from the hinge means being substantially flat such that in both the folded and unfolded conditions, the member presents fiat end surfaces to the panel edge and jamb.

3. A locking device as defined in claim 1 wherein the second bar is of a length substantially less than that of the first bar such that in the folded condition, the length of the first bar permits limited displacement of the first panel relative to said jamb to open the panel to a degree less than that which would normally permit passage by a human being.

4. A locking device as defined in claim 1 including a handle on at least one of the bars.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,234,957 7/1917 Suettinger 292263 1,918,040 7/1933 Kassick 292263X 3,273,935 9/1966 Carson 292288 790,653 5/1905 Notthoff 292339 1,601,524 9/1926 Gibbons 292305 3,282,618 11/1966 Adickes 292258 3,328,920 7/1967 Cohen 49449 3,420,001 l/l969 Raymon 49407 ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner E. J. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 49449 

